Don Quixote and Sancho Pansa 1870

Honoré Daumier made this painting of Don Quixote and Sancho Pansa with oil on canvas. Daumier was a master of lithography, a printmaking process that’s inherently reproducible, so it’s interesting to see him working in the more unique medium of painting. The material itself influences the appearance of the painting. The viscosity of the oil paint allows for layering and blending of colors, creating a sense of depth and atmosphere. Daumier’s brushstrokes are visible and expressive, adding movement and energy to the scene. He’s working with some traditional techniques here, but the subject – these aging characters from Cervantes’s novel – aligns with his broader social interests. Daumier often depicted the lives of ordinary people, using his art to comment on the social and political issues of his time. Ultimately, this piece reminds us that painting itself is an art of labor, and that the materials and means of production matter a great deal to the finished work.